Chocolate covered maraschino cherries are easy and fun to make and they make wonderful homemade gifts. Beautiful maraschino cherries with stems are dipped in silky special dark chocolate for that special touch. Maraschino cherries with stems can be found in most grocery stores and are sometimes found near the alcohol mixer isle or near the ice cream cones and toppers.
Start with 2 – 10 oz. jars of maraschino cherries with stems. Each jar contains about 25 cherries. There are always a few cherries where the stem has fallen off so buy more than what you need. Any that have lost the stems can still be used or saved for something else. If I am making the cherries as a gift, I try to pick out the best ones with the stems attached.
Rinse and drain the cherries in a colander. Dry each cherry with a paper towel and place on a plate. Drying the cherries is very important for the chocolate to stick.
Next, take a 12-oz. bag of Special Dark Chocolate Chips and place them in a double boiled or a bowl placed over a pot of boiling water to melt the chocolate. Make sure the bowl is deep enough to cover the cherries when dipped.
Stir the chocolate with a wooden or heavy plastic spoon until melted and smooth.
Once chocolate is completely melted and smooth, keep it over the water to keep the chocolate melted. Again, dry each cherry with a paper towel and holding the stem, gently dip each cherry into the chocolate swirling and turning the cherries to coat up to the stem.
Let excess chocolate drip off and lightly wipe the bottom of each cherry and place on parchment paper-lined pan. Continue until all the cherries have been coated.
Place the cherries in the refrigerator to set the chocolate, usually about 30 minutes.
For gift giving, I use containers lined with small paper candy cups. After placing the cherries in the cups I place some small bubble wrap over the cherries and then a cover to seal. Once sealed they can also be mailed. For warmer months, I enclose an ice pack sealed in a plastic bag inside the shipping box.
Cherries can also just be served on a platter along with coffee for example.
No matter how you serve these little beauties, they will be delicious and appreciated by your family and friends. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Ingredients:
2 – 10 oz. jars maraschino cherries with stems, rinsed, drained and dried.
1 – 12 oz. bag Special Dark Chocolate chips (such as Hershey’s)
Parchment paper
Prep Time: 30 min. to rinse and dry the cherries & about 30 min. to dip the cherries
Cooking Time: 10 min.to melt chocolate
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: Makes about 40 chocolate covered cherries